


Down The Chimney Like Ol’ Saint Nick

by ericsonclan



Series: The Everett Bunch [7]
Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe- Brady Bunch, F/M, Fireplaces, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Sibling Rivalry, Siblings, santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:15:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27840595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericsonclan/pseuds/ericsonclan
Summary: A heated debate between the Everett siblings break out about Santa causing them to take their arguments to the next level...
Relationships: Carley/Lee Everett
Series: The Everett Bunch [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1988578
Kudos: 2





	Down The Chimney Like Ol’ Saint Nick

**Author's Note:**

> (by Linnea)

“Santa is totally real!” Renata slammed her hands on the table, causing the Christmas cookies on the tippy top of the plate to fall over.

“Please,” Prisha picked up the fallen treats and placed them back on the plate. “You still believe he exists at your age?”

“Yeah,” Renata huffed and sat back down in her chair. “And Clem does too! Right?” Renata looked over at her younger sister who was nibbling on a cookie. Clementine glanced up from her snack and gave a short nod.

“Yeah, Santa exists.” Her answer made the eldest sister groan in annoyance. Prisha pressed a hand to her temple. 

“You two are nearing highschool and you still believe that an old beard man sneaks down our chimney and gives those gifts to us?”

“Not all the gifts.” Renata shook her head. “Just the ones that say they’re from good ol’ Saint Nick.”

“Yeah,” Clementine grabbed another cookie, taking a sip of milk before taking a large bite out of the sweet. “The ones labeled from us were obviously bought by us.”

Prisha let her head fall onto the table. Renata and Clementine shared a look then glanced back at their oldest sibling.

“Mom believes,” 

Renata’s statement made Prisha’s head shoot up. “No way. Mother is far smarter than that.”

Clementine’s eyes narrowed. “Are you calling us dumb then?”

The realization made Prisha hold up her hands defensively. “Now wait-”

“She did!” Renata shook her head. “ I can’t believe our own sister thinks we’re just a bunch of dumbasses.”

“Who’s a bunch of dumbasses?” Marlon strolled forward, a happy smile on his face as he sat down beside Renata.

“Prisha said we’re stupid.” Clementine answered her stepbrother's question, making him pause for a second while he was grabbing a cookie. 

She did?” Mitch’s voice drew the siblings’ attention to the doorway where Aasim and Mitch were making their way into the kitchen. “Sounds like Prisha.” The brunette smirked and took a spot beside the sister he had just insulted. 

“I did no such thing!” Prisha looked annoyed by her sibling’s words. 

“But you implied it,” Renata pointed at Prisha with a cookie.

“Why would you imply that they’re stupid?” Aasim took a spot by Clementine and moved to pour himself a glass of milk. 

“Because they believe in Santa,” Prisha replied before downing the rest of her milk.

“You believe in Santa too!” Marlon asked, cookie crumbs flying out of his mouth that hung slightly ajar. The blond’s eyes shone with excitement at the news.

“Yep! We are believers!” Renata smiled proudly at her brother. “Unlike that one over there. I think her name was Pushy or something.”

“It’s Prisha,” The eldest sister snapped. “Stop trying to provoke me.”

Mitch gave a snort. “You believe in him too?” 

“Yeah,” Renata leaned back. “What, you don’t believe in jolly old Saint Nick?”

“No! That would be stupid,” Mitch paused when he noticed that Clementine looked slightly hurt by that. “Wait, Clem, do you believe in him too?”   
Clementine gave a nod. “Growing up in the foster system I didn’t really get anything except once a year when I would get a gift from Santa. Even after I got adopted, I’d get a gift in the same wrapping paper and written in Santa’s handwriting.”

Prisha and Mitch were quiet, neither wanting to point out that most likely it was that Carley had continued on that Christmas tradition for Clementine, most likely in hopes that her daughter could hold onto a piece of Christmas magic when so many other parts of childhood innocence were taken from her. 

“Well, logic seems to lean towards disproving his existence,” Aasim placed a hand on his chin. “How could a man with that body type fit into every single chimney? Chimney designs change over the years and there are many different sizes.” The brother snatched a cookie, breaking off a corner and tossing it in his mouth.

“With magic, duh.” Renata took two cookies and shoved them in her mouth. 

“Yeah, there’s a ton of things that science can’t explain that still happen in the world,” Marlon added, making Renata smile over at her brother. 

“Regardless, one thing that can’t possibly be achievable is how he can go across the world in one evening stopping at each house and giving personalized gifts.” Prisha leaned on her elbows and looked at her sister. “Care to explain that one?”

Renata opened her mouth but before she could speak Prisha added one more thing.   
“And don’t say magic.”

“It’s the miracle of Christmas,” Clementine crossed her arms. “Miracles happen every year.” Marlon and Renata nodded in agreement of their youngest sibling’s statement. 

Mitch rolled his eyes. “There’s no fucking way.”

“Oh yeah?” Marlon looked over at his brother. “Dad believes and he’s the smartest guy we know.”

“That’s not true,” Aasim tutted and shook his head. This argument continued for some time. Each side of the argument brought new information into the mix while the six siblings continued to eat the cookies. After a while the cookies were demolished and the milk jug empty but both sides were still heated as ever about the conversation, neither willing to back down from their stance on the subject.

“Fine, I guess there’s only one way to prove it!” Marlon stood up from his spot at the table. “I’m gonna go down the chimney in Dad’s Santa suit!”

“The mere fact that Dad has a fat Santa suit proves he doesn’t exist!” Aasim pressed his hands on the table. 

“He just wants to cosplay as Santa.” Renata shot back. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to dress up as the coolest dude in the world!”

“Why would an old as balls man be the coolest dude in the world?” Mitch quirked an eyebrow, a smirk plain on his face.

“Because he gives gifts to all the little boys and girls of the world!” Clementine leaned back in her chair. “He even gives us gifts too.”

“Fine, put on the suit and climb down the chimney.” Prisha let out a tired sigh. “It will prove nothing.”

“You’re just scared because  _ when  _ we prove we’re right you won’t have a leg to stand on,” Marlon’s words seem to light a fire in the three siblings who were opposed to the belief in Santa. 

“That won’t prove shit!” Mitch jumped up from his spot. “It’s easy to go down a chimney. The hard part is climbing back up! I’m gonna prove Santa couldn’t do it.”

The six siblings all silently stared at each other. A weird tension danced in the air around them when suddenly Renata made the first move. Throwing a used napkin at Mitch as a distraction, she began sprinting and laughing as she disappeared from the kitchen and sprinted down a hall. The five siblings looked confused by the action until their lovable, bubbly sister returned.

“Marlon,’ Renata whispered “Where’s the Santa suit.”

Her question made Marlon and Mitch’s eyes grow large. The pair of brothers shared a look then started fighting to get out of the kitchen first. There was only one Santa fat suit but two challengers. Whoever got to the suit first would have the advantage. 

“Dad’s study!” Marlon called out as he held Mitch in a headlock which he easily got out of. Mitch tried to pants Marlon in revenge. Clementine, Prisha and Aasim watched in curious silence as their brothers fought each other while Renata hopped this way and that to find the suit. 

After a few minutes she returned, barely able to hold the massive costume in her arms, with a bright smile on her face. “Ready to become Santa, Marlon?”

“Hell yeah!” Marlon ran over and Renata and Clementine helped their brother get in the suit.

“This isn’t fair,” Mitch complained as he frowned at Marlon who had donned the Santa fat suit and white beard. 

“Why don’t you just make your own if it's that important?” Aasim got up to stretch his arms. 

“Yeah, it’s not like this will prove anything,” Prisha rose up from her spot as well.

“Did you guys hear that?’ Renata had a smug expression on her face. “It sounds like the ghost of Christmas Bore.”

Prisha’s lips tightened when she heard the insult. She had had enough of her sister’s remarks. “Fine, we’ll play your stupid little game!” She glared at Renata who looked rather pleased with herself. “Mitch, there are some pillows we can use to imitate the fat suit.”

“I can grab Dad’s red bathrobe too!” Aasim offered and soon the trio was off to create their own Santa suit. When they returned they began to work on stuffing pillows into the bathrobe as Mitch smiled confidently at Marlon who returned the smile in kind.

“Alright,” Clementine moved forward. “We have our two Santas. Mitch will try to climb up the chimney and Marlon will try to go down the chimney.”

“Two Santas enter the ring, only one leaves!” Renata declared grandly. Within seconds the siblings were off to the chimney to prove that their side was right.

\------

Carley could feel a slight chill run down her spine as a gentle winter wind blew past her. She made a little sound in reaction to the cold, causing her husband to pause.

“You alright, Car?” Lee looked over with a concerned expression.

“I’m fine, Lee. Just a little cold,” Carley replied with a smile.

“Well, let’s finish up this walk and get back home for some nice hot cocoa by the fireplace.” Lee’s offer made Carley’s smile grow.

“I’d like that,” She gave Lee’s hand a small squeeze and the two continued to walk back to their house hand in hand. “Think the kids behaved?”

“Well, considering that we haven’t heard news of a fire or an explosion going off, I’d say we’re in the clear.” Lee smiled playfully over at his wife.

“If that did happen, it would be because of your sons.”

“ _ My _ sons?” Lee stopped for a second. “What happened to saying they were our sons?”   
“They’re only your sons when they get in trouble,” Carley answered with a teasing expression. 

“Oh yeah? Well let’s hope the house is in one piece when we get back. I’m sure the kids had their fair share of mischief.”   
Carley gave a good-natured chuckle. “With our kids there’s never a boring day.”

“That’s the truth,” Lee stopped in his tracks; they were only a few houses away from their own. A nervousness overtook his face, giving Carley pause. 

“Is everything alright, Lee?”

“Hmmm,” Lee looked up. “Oh yeah. It’s just...” He used his free hand to rummage around in his winter coat. After a few seconds he pulled out a sprig of mistletoe and held it above their heads. “I thought it wouldn’t be Christmas without mistletoe and you know how wild the house can get.”

Carley smiled lovingly at her husband then leaned forward, capturing his lips in a warm, soft kiss. Lee’s eyes closed and he deepened the kiss, his gloved hands gently cupping Carley’s face. The two pulled apart and stared deeply into each other’s eyes. Both of them had huge grins on their faces when suddenly they heard a voice call out to them.

“Mom! Dad!” Renata scampered forward and fell into a pile of snow a few feet away from her parents. Lee and Carley immediately ran over to their daughter.

“Renata, what happened?’ Carley asked with concern. She and Lee began to slowly help guide her back onto her feet. 

Renata shook off the snow from her face and winter coat. “Marlon got his ass stuck in the chimney! Oh, and Mitch got stuck too! But not his ass, he got his face, or more like his upper body, stuck in the chimney too!”

Renata’s words made Lee and Carley share a worried look before following their daughter who continued to skid and slip as she led the way. When they got in view of the house they saw Marlon in a Santa suit on the top of the chimney. His face was red and his butt was firmly planted in the hole of the chimney, causing his legs to be stuck in an awkward upward position. Aasim and Prisha were pulling desperately on their brother’s arms but it seemed to do little to help.

“Renata, where’s Mitch?” Lee looked towards his daughter who pulled her attention away from the rather funny sight. 

“I’ll show you,” Renata grabbed her dad’s hand and guided him towards the front door. 

“I’ll help Marlon,” Carley called out to her husband then strode towards the ladder that had been set up by her kids. When she reached the ladder she could hear the conversation being shared between Prisha and Aasim. She began to climb until they were in view. 

“I argue that the best course of action would be for one of us to pull while the other tries to unwedge him.” Aasim offered. 

Prisha shook her head. “I disagree. I figure that if we pull at a certain angle that will give Marlon enough of an opening to get himself out of the chimney.”

“G-G-Guys,” Marlon’s teeth chattered. “Can we try one now then if that doesn’t work do the other?” He gave a few sneezes, each one making his head fly forward with the force of it. 

“I agree with Marlon,” The sudden appearance of their mother’s voice made the three kids’ eyes widen in alarm. “I want to hear the whole story afterwards,” Carley began to make her way onto the roof. “But first let’s get your brother out of there.”   
Prisha and Aasim both moved forward to help their mother. Aasim steaded the ladder as she stepped off while Prisha gave her mom a hand up. 

“Thank you,” Carley smiled at her kids before looking at where Marlon was stuck, a small frown pulling on the corner of her lips. This was going to be quite the challenge.

\------

“Clem! I got Dad!” Renata exclaimed, making the youngest of the siblings glance up from her task of trying to pull Mitch out of the chimney. Her hands were wrapped around his waist. 

“Looks like you got yourself in quite the pickle, son.” Lee couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. His son was stuck in the chimney in a red bathrobe that was filled to the brim with pillows, his butt prominently sticking out 

“It’s not funny, Dad.” Mitch grumbled. “It’s really tight in here!”

“Alright,” Lee strolled forward and observed the situation for a minute. There was a solution that could potentially work if all the pieces fit. “Clementine, could you fit in that spot of the chimney?” Lee pointed at the small gap in the opening between Mitch and the chimney. Clementine looked confused for a second but then started to get the idea. 

“Yeah, I think I can, Lee,” Clementine squatted and shimmied her way into the spot.

“Okay, I’m going to need you to undo the bathrobe belt and start getting the pillows out.”

“Okay,” Clementine’s voice was slightly muffled but she got started. Renata scampered forward and began to help from the outside, taking the pillows from her little sister and tossing them back until enough were gone and Mitch was free. He fell backwards, landing hard on his butt. Mitch blinked wildly, his face covered in a fine layer of soot. Renata, Clem and Lee all shared a look before starting to laugh which made Mitch’s face turn down into a deep frown.

“Whatever, I-” Mitch paused, his nose scrunching up before he let out a plethora of sneezes. Clouds of soot danced in the air from the force of the sneezes.

“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up,” Lee helped up his son and walked him over to the bathroom to get all the soot off his face and hair.

It took a couple of minutes but by the time they were done Carley had successfully gotten Marlon out and she and the other kids were back in the house. Once the whole family was gathered around Carley spoke up.

“Now who’s going to tell me what happened here?”   


“We were trying to prove Santa was real,” Renata answered. “Even though some who shall remain nameless don't believe,” Renata shot a stink eye over to Aasim and Prisha who looked done with their sister.

“How does going into the chimney prove Santa is real?” Lee looked around at his kids.

“Because Santa does it,” Clementine stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“But both Marlon and me got stuck so that proves that Santa isn’t real.” Mitch smiled proudly over his siblings.

“No!” Renata shook her head wildly. “That doesn’t prove anything!”   


The six siblings got into another heated debate when Carley spoke up.

“Alright, enough. No more arguing about this and  _ never _ do something like this again. You could’ve gotten seriously hurt.” Their mother’s words caused all the siblings to stop in their bickering.

“Your mother is right,” Lee took a step forward. “It was stupid thing to do. You could’ve fallen, or inhaled ashes or could’ve frozen out there. I-” Lee stopped when he noticed his son’s condition. Marlon stood there, his nose scrunched before he began to sneeze again and again until he nearly fell over from the force of one. His body began to shiver violently, causing his parents’ faces to grow worried.

“We need to get you warmed up right away. Prisha, Aasim, why don’t you help your father make some tea.” 

The two siblings nodded in understanding and disappeared into the kitchen with Lee.

“Clem, Renata could you grab all the blankets you can find? We need to get everyone warmed up.”

“You got it!’ Renata grabbed Clementine’s hand and sprinted off in search of blankets. Carley helped Marlon over to the couch and double checked that Mitch was okay. Renata and Clem soon returned with blankets.

“Brother!” Renata jumped and outstretched her arms with the blanket, wrapping Marlon in a warm hug. “Clem, join us!”

Clementine nodded and started tossing blankets all over the couch then scooted close to Marlon who gave a small, appreciative smile. Lee returned next with Prisha and Aasim in tow with a ton of tea. Once that was settled Prisha and Aasim with insistence from their parents got under the blankets as well. Renata draped herself over Prisha’s lap and had her legs on Marlon’s lap to make sure her body heat was distributed equally. Lee sat beside Aasim and shared a blanket with him while Carley went to the other side and sat between a few of her kids to warm them up. 

“How does ordering pizza sound for dinner?’ Lee asked and was met with excited applause. He reached in his pocket and got out his phone, placing the order which was quite hectic as each kid tried to butt in with their own perfect pizza plan. But soon that was done and the family continued to snuggle under the blankets and drink their tea. Carley and Lee shared a look. To think their kids got in this much mischief over a simple question. Still, it all turned out okay. But it seemed like the mystery of whether Santa was real or not would have to just remain just that. - a mystery.


End file.
